Charlie’s wife, Eve thought dully. Charlie hadn’t survived, and Joe had been so close to not surviving. Oh, God, she was going to throw up. "She’s pregnant. Can you get someone to tell her in person?"
"I’ll have someone from the field office go out to see her, but I’m the one who has to do the dirty work."
"Come to the house after you’ve finished," Joe said. "We have something to talk about." He opened his jacket.
Half of a five-by-seven envelope was stuffed into the top of his jeans. "The photograph?" Spiro asked.
"I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet, but it was on the floor of the car beside Charlie. It was caught under the drive shift, and it ripped when I jerked it out and ran for it."
Spiro held out his hand. "Give it to me."
Joe shook his head. "You’ll get it after we take a look at it, and I’m not going to stop and do that now. I need to get Eve home. She’s not doing well."
"The hell I’m not. I’d have to be dead before I’d wait to see that murderer’s face." She tried to The Killing Game – Eve Duncan 02
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steady her hands as she took the envelope. Disappointment surged through her as she drew out the photo. "No."
A third of the photograph was gone. The third with Kevin Baldridge sitting on the porch steps.
Two lives lost. All for nothing.
Spiro was cursing. "Why couldn’t it have been the other half that was torn?”
“Murphy’s Law," Joe said. "This is just a print, Eve. Can you do anything?"
She tried to think. "Maybe. Sung might have made copies. Or his work might have been saved on his computer."
Joe looked at Spiro. "Get us permission to go into that lab on Blue Mountain Drive."
Spiro nodded. "Meet me there in two hours.”
“We’ll be there," Eve said.
"Come on." Joe tried to wrap an arm around Eve’s waist. "Let’s go home.”
“I don’t need your help." She pushed his hand away and started to walk. Put one foot in front of the other. Don’t look at him. Keep control or you’ll disintegrate into a million pieces. "I’ll see you back at the house."
"I’m going with you. For God’s sake, you just took a knock on the head.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m not capable of—"
"I’m not letting you drive."
"And what are you supposed to do with your car? Just leave it here?”
“Screw the car." He opened the car door for her.
"No, I don’t—"
"Need my help," he finished for her. "But you’re still not driving. Now get in."
He whirled to face her as soon as they walked into the living room. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Nothing’s wrong with me." Except she felt as if she were going to explode any minute. She wanted to scream and pound on him. Damn him. Damn him. Damn him.
"The hell there’s not. You’re shaking like a malaria victim."
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"I’m fine." She couldn’t hold on much longer. "Go wash your face," she snapped. "You have oil all over it. All over your hands and that—"
"I’m sorry it offends you."
"It does offend me." A single light in the wreckage and then the world exploding. "I hate it."
"You don’t have to bite my head off."
"Yes, I do." She turned away, her back rigid. "Go away.”
“Turn around. I want to see your face."
She didn’t move. "Go wash up. We have to go to that lab and see if we can get another print."
"You shouldn’t go anywhere in your condition.”
“There’s nothing wrong with me."
"Then look at me."
"I don’t want to look at you. I want to go and look at that photograph. It’s important, dammit."
"Do you think I don’t know that? But there’s something else happening here, and it may be more important to me than any picture."
The room seemed to be tilting, exploding beneath her feet. Like the car had exploded.
Hold on. Don’t break down. What had they been talking about? The photograph. "It couldn’t be more important. Two men died because of that photograph."
"And I’m sorry as hell, but I’m not to blame." He spun her around to face him. "I did everything I could to help—"
"I know you did. Crawling into that— Stupid, idiotic—‘ The floodgates broke and tears were again running down her cheeks. "Charlie was already dead, dammit."
"I didn’t know that."
"You could have died."
“I didn’t die."
"Not for lack of trying.”
“Will you please stop crying?”
“No."
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"Then may I point out that you’re being unreasonable."
"Go to hell." She walked over to the window and stared out into the darkness. "Eve."
She could feel his gaze on her back. "Go away.”
“Are you going to tell me why you’re so angry with me?" She didn’t answer.
"Tell me."
She whirled on him, her eyes blazing. "Oh, yes, you’re too mean to get killed. You’re going to be around for the next fifty years or so. I don’t have to be afraid, do I?"
He went still. "Oh, shit."
"You could have died tonight." The words tumbled over one another. "You had no right. You upset my life, you barged around and made me feel things I never wanted to feel. You said you’d be around for the next fifty years and then you try to get yourself— Don’t you touch me."
She backed away from him. "Charlie Cather and Billy Sung died tonight, and I hardly thought about them. I didn’t care about the photograph. I didn’t care about Dom. Do you know how that makes me feel?”
“I know how it makes me feel."
"Are you proud of yourself? You lied to me. You lied about—" He was holding her, pressing her face to his shoulder. "Stop shaking. It’s over.”
“It’s not over. It’s going to go on. Because you’ll never change. You’ll keep on doing stupid, insane things because you have an ego that tells you that you’ll live forever even if you—" Her whole body was trembling. "I can’t stand it."
"Neither can I. You’re turning me inside out."
"You shouldn’t have done it. You shouldn’t have done it."
He was lifting her and carrying her to the couch. "Shh, I’ll do anything you say if you’ll just stop shaking." He cradled her on his lap. "I thought I was prepared for anything, but I was wrong. I wasn’t ready for this. It was always Bonnie who came first with you. I never thought—"
"Because you can’t see farther than the tip of your nose." He was silent a moment. "Are you telling me that you love me?”
“I’m not telling you anything, you bastard."
"It’s hard to judge because of the verbal abuse, but I think that’s what you’re saying. It…
heartens me."
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"It doesn’t hearten me."
"I know. It scares you." He was rocking her back and forth. "If you’ll just stop shaking, I promise I’ll try to live forever."
No one lived forever. His heart pounded strong and steady beneath her ear, but it could have been stilled tonight. Her hands tightened on his shoulders. "Idiot."
"Hush."
"You’ll do it again. I know it. You’re a cop." He was silent.
She was silent too. Moments passed and she sat there, listening to the beat of his heart. Lover.
Best friend. Center.
She gradually stopped shaking.
He gently pressed his lips to her temple. "Someday will you tell me you love me?"
“Probably not." Her arms tightened around him. "You don’t deserve it.”
“True." He was silent again. "I won’t take chances I don’t have to, Eve. I’ve never wanted to live more than I do at this moment. Okay?"